Suggestions for a Teacher Training Program for Inclusive Education in a Japanese University

Abstract

Inclusive education has been recently proposed in primary and secondary educations in many countries. Children who need special education support should be educated together with typically developing children in general classes. Although many studies have examined the effectiveness of inclusive education, researchers have pointed out that some general education teachers experience problems in their relationships with children who have disabilities such as developmental disorders and intellectual disabilities. In this paper, we review teacher training programs in a Japanese university and offer suggestions to enhance teachers' relationships with disabled children. In our discussion, we focused on adult attachment theory, which is an affective connection and interactions between self and others. First, we reviewed the importance of teachers' relationships with disabled children. Second, we reviewed attachment theories with respect to the quality of teacher-child relationships, and lastly, we proposed that adult attachment theory is a mediator in the quality of teacher-child relationships. We proposed a direction for the application of these conceptual assumptions to the teacher-training program for inclusive education in a Japanese university.

Education and New Developments 2022 – Volume 2

“…A review of previous studies relating to formal inclusion training for pre-service teachers in Japan reveals that again the focus is extremely narrow; predominantly how to engage with disabled students (Takahashi, 2013;Ree, 2015, Moberg et al, 2020, Forlin et al, 2015. This is hardly surprising given -as mentioned above -the notion that inclusion equals 'special' education in Japan and the prevalence of similar 'misunderstandings' about exactly what it does/should entail (Sanagi, 2016).…”

A Tentative Proposal for Inclusivity Education Training for Japanese School Teachers Based on the Needs of Migrants and Returnees

“…A review of previous studies relating to formal inclusion training for pre-service teachers in Japan reveals that again the focus is extremely narrow; predominantly how to engage with disabled students (Takahashi, 2013;Ree, 2015, Moberg et al, 2020, Forlin et al, 2015. This is hardly surprising given -as mentioned above -the notion that inclusion equals 'special' education in Japan and the prevalence of similar 'misunderstandings' about exactly what it does/should entail (Sanagi, 2016).…”